MacBook Air M1 quality

[podiki]

Is anyone else disappointed with the MacBook Air M1 quality? The keyboard is not as good as my 2011 MacBook Air. The keys are not placed evenly. From some keys light escapes at the edges. Also my right arrow key doesn't always work.

When I rotate the machine I can hear something moving. It just doesn't feel as high quality as the 2011 Air.

 

[yitwail]

I'm not disappointed at all, but I didn't own a 2011 MBA so can't compare. You didn't specify which keys are unevenly placed, or have light escaping, so can't confirm or deny that, and I almost never use arrow keys, though the right arrow works right now, but can't hear anything when I rotate the machine, though you might have better ears than I do.

 

[chabig]

I'm not disappointed at all. Performance and battery life is much better than my Intel MacBooks. The keyboard is far better than the butterfly keyboards of old.

 

[pdxplm]

I was a first adopter, I have had zero problems and it's been one of the best machines I've had. It's fast, solid, keyboard is good, and just works.

 

[Biscotti]

I had a 13" 2011 Air that just retired recently. I've had the M1 MBA since December, 2022 - one of the best built Macs I've ever had hands down. Keyboard, battery, screen, screen brightness - perfect.

 

[ctjack]

I own M1 Air and don't have issues listed in the topic post. You need to exchange yours if there is a still window for that. I am sorry that your first impression wasn't so good about it due to manufacturing errors that might occur with everyone.

 

[lambertjohn]

For the time I had an M1 Air, it was a joy to use. I had zero issues. I eventually upgraded to a 16" M1 MacBook Pro, but I still miss that little Air. If you don't like yours, get rid of it and try something else...like one of the new MacBook Pros.

 

[podiki]

I've got an appointment at the genius bar on Saturday. Let's see what they can do for me. If the one wonky key is fixed I find the machine acceptable. It's a great machine, but when I look at the keyboard it just doesn't look as high quality as the old Air. The rest of the machine is of course superior. Great screen, great performance.

 

[ghanwani]

Everyone was disappointed when the set of products with butterfly keyboards came out. Many have pointed out things like flexing chassis with the 13 MBP and many have complained about the finish with the 14/16 MBP. Even with the M1 MBA there have been many cases where the machine wouldn't sit still on a flat surface (base/feet were not level). So yes, quality has dropped. And this is true even with phones, iPads, iMacs, etc.

 

[Killbynumbers]

Not at all. I bought mine towards the end of August. I haven't noticed any problems like the OP has. It's been just as good as any other MBP or MB I have ever owned.

 

[dzankizakon]

I have a 2020 Intel Air and my wife has an M1 Air. Other than M1 being a lot faster and longer-lasting, I cannot detect any difference in build quality, keyboard or anything else really.

 

[Hunter5117]

I have not owned a MBA since probably 2012 or so, but lots of MBPs. I still use my 2013 retina MBP and the keyboard on it is definitely a better feeling keyboard to type on than either my 2019 16" or my 2020 13" M1.

 

[tomscott1988]

Not been bowled over with mine either. It creaks and cracks when you pick it up like the chassis is flexing. Mine is a March 2021 machine.

No problem with the keyboard I really like it compared to the tiny travel 2015 MacBook and large travel 2013 11" MacBook Air I had.

 

[Pugly]

Mine has been great. I had one issue where it would sometimes take 5-10 secs for the screen to come up. I think it was connected to usb-c power, because it would happen after using certain chargers. But it was pretty random. I'd go a couple weeks to a month without an issue, and then it was like every time I used it. It never completely hanged though... and eventually went out of sleep.

I have not had this problem at all after upgrading to Monterey. Now I'm back to "How Cool is That."

 

[SpotOnT]

I do feel like quality is a bit more varied on Apple products now compared to 2010 - you get things with dents, scratches, creaks, loose screws, etc. I always give my Apple purchases a good inspection while still in the return window. For phones I open them up and inspect them in the store before leaving.

On the bright side, the actual internals seem more robust. I remember back in the day, the first few months of operation were always a trial period to see what internal hardware might fail.

 

[ignatius345]

I have the M1 Air and had its immediate Intel predecessor from 2020. I've also had other Intel Airs going back quite a few years. No, I don't feel subjectively like there's any change in build quality at all. I preferred the slightly greater key travel in the older Airs, but it's a pretty subtle difference. The keys still work smoothly and reliably, which is a whole lot more than you could say for the cluster**** that was the Butterfly keyboard. Other than that, the hinge feels good and I don't feel any flexing or hear any noises when I open and close it.

 

[CE3]

I've got an appointment at the genius bar on Saturday. Let's see what they can do for me. If the one wonky key is fixed I find the machine acceptable. It's a great machine, but when I look at the keyboard it just doesn't look as high quality as the old Air. The rest of the machine is of course superior. Great screen, great performance.

? Hopefully it’s just an issue with your device and Apple will get you sorted.

I’m not disappointed with the quality of the M1 Air at all. The fanless design, battery life and performance easily make it the best laptop computing experience I’ve ever had, and on the Mac laptop side of things I’ve only owned MacBook Pros before.

 

[MBAir2010]

I had a 13" 2011 Air that just retired recently. I've had the M1 MBA since December, 2022 - one of the best built Macs I've ever had hands down. Keyboard, battery, screen, screen brightness - perfect.

What happened to the macbook air 2011?
hopefully nothing too bad

 

[podiki]

At the Apple store an employee tried to replace the key while I waited, but didn't have the arrow key. He took off the key, put it back on, but wasn't satisfied. So the whole keyboard will be replaced. I'm happy with that, even though it sounds excessive.

I tried a MacBook Air in the shop and oddly typing on it felt quite different. That was a bit baffling...

 

[podiki]

Well, the Air came back with a new keyboard (and top cover and battery) and it's perfect now. The keyboard is so much better. Not just the arrow key, but all keys. The guy at the Apple Store it might have been a production fault. I am very happy.